Water supplementation in exclusively breastfed infants aged 0-6 months in hot and arid areas : the case of Meri-Maroua in Cameroon

Prior to the study, mothers and health workers were interviewed regarding beliefs and practices of water supplementation. Results showed that water supplementation is an early and frequent practice: 64% of mothers and 71% of medical personnel interviewed encouraged water supplementation at birth and 90% of the infants recruited for the study were already receiving water supplements. In the study, 25 infants were exclusively breastfed, while another 25 received supplemental water. Water intake was measured for the second group of infants, while urine output volume and urine specific gravity were measured for both groups. The study showed that there was no significant difference between the two groups in urine output and specific gravity, confirming conclusions of earlier researchers that water supplementation offers no benefit to exclusively breastfed infants. Moreover, given the high level of water contamination, water supplementation in such areas constitutes a dangerous source of enteropathogens, which are potentially responsible for infant diarrhea. Recommendations for improved education on this topic are provided.